1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a watercraft.
2. Description of the Related Art
Watercrafts are equipped with a variety of devices supporting the functions of the watercraft. For example, the watercraft disclosed in Laid-open Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-83767 is equipped with two outboard motors and a remote control device. The watercraft also includes electric powered steering devices, operating switches, and instrument panels corresponding to each of the outboard motors. Each of these devices includes a controller and the controllers of related devices are connected to one another to define a network system of devices inside the watercraft. More specifically, an electric powered steering device, an operating switch, and an instrument panel is provided with respect to each of two outboard motors, and is connected to each of the controllers of the two outboard motors. The controller of the remote control device is connected to the controllers of the two outboard motors.
As explained above, in recent years watercraft include a plurality of controllers in addition to the controller for the engine. Thus, the number of controllers increases as the number of devices increases. Consequently, as the number of devices increases, the network system becomes more complex and the wiring connecting the devices becomes more complex. Also, as the number of operating switches and instrument panels increases, more work is required to install each of these devices. Additionally, having a large number of operating switches and instrument panels makes it more difficult for an operator to recognize information regarding the watercraft and causes the ease of operability to decline.